Gadgetory

these devices are all smart displays a category that started with the first Amazon echo show has blown up over the past couple of months so with all of these options how do you pick first here's a quick summary of what these gadgets can do think of smart displays as the next iteration of smart speakers like smart speakers they respond to a wide variety of voice commands you have options with Amazon's assistant and the competitive google assistant on top of the usual voice commands smart displays have a touchscreen check the weather and you'll see a forecast search for a place to eat and you'll see pics of nearby restaurants the screen can also be a handy visual reference when you want to cook most smart displays will now let you control smart home devices from a control panel plus you can watch videos on the display itself and make video calls as most have an embedded camera now let's walk through the options to find the one that fits you best unlike with smart speakers where the quality of assistance is pretty even I actually prefer Google assistant smart displays to those from Amazon they're better at multitasking better at walking you through a recipe they're better at smart home controls that said they're not so much better that you should jump ship if you already have a lot of Amazon echo devices at home if that's the case go with the second gen $230 Amazon echo show it sounds great has great mics and it is a much more polished smart display than the gen 1 version if you're neutral go with Google on this one which narrows your options to these for the 150 dollar Google Home Hub is your best entry point it's cute and more affordable than the rest with all of the same smarts unlike the rest it doesn't have a camera which might be a negative for some or you might appreciate that if you intend to put it in your bedroom it also has great adaptive brightness so when you're not using it it can show off your family pictures in style the Google home hub sounds fine when you want to play music but if you want a smart display that emphasizes sound quality go with the $250 JBL link view it has all the same features I don't like the look as much but it can blast your favorite song with a lot of bass and decent quality the 250 dollar Lenovo smart display is the most well rounded of the bunch it has the biggest screen it sounds pretty good plus look at this design the bamboo back looks like a cutting board and fits particularly well in the kitchen where the home hub is cute the Lenovo smart display feels like a premium and elegant gadget which leaves these the $300 LG smart display isn't the best at anything and it's too expensive so it's out the $200 Facebook portal and the $350 portal plus aren't as smart as the rest they're primarily video chat devices with some echo capabilities go with a portal if you primarily want a video chat device with a camera that can follow you as you talk so you have a lot of options but based on what you need whether it's sound quality or design whether it's Amazon or Google you can narrow your choices pretty quickly and jump in on this booming and helpful category of tank